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4-H was started over 100 years ago to help kids develop skills

Can you identify the people in this picture, taken in downtown Hendersonville in the 1940s? If so, please contact Denise_Sherrill@ncsu.edu or call 828-697-4891. Weather permitting, 4-H members Carson and Chloe Mathes will once again have a pig downtown before the morning performances of “Charlotte's Web” at the Flat Rock Playhouse, from 10-11 a.m. on Saturday, March 15 and 22.

Photo provided

Denise SherrillHenderson County 4-H

Published: Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 11:25 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 11:25 a.m.

4-H was started over 100 years ago to help children develop skills they can use throughout their lives. The focus was agriculture, with Corn Clubs for boys and Tomato Clubs for girls.

Edith Vanderbilt, from the Biltmore House, hired the first 4-H agent for North Carolina, L.R. Harrill. He went on to become the first N.C. 4-H sate leader. Harrill's statement emphasizes the goal of 4-H: “It's a great thing to produce a grand champion 4-H steer, but unless you do something to produce a grand champion boy or girl, you have failed in your greatest responsibility.”

Henderson County 4-H continues to strive to produce grand champion boys and girls. The focus is still on learning life skills. Henderson County 4-H has 10 4-H clubs, which learn about topics like livestock, leadership, electricity, horses, sewing, cooking, citizenship, community service, gardening, wildlife and shooting sports.

Volunteers are needed for every aspect of 4-H: leading clubs, mentoring leaders, teaching classes, judging competitions, planning events and serving on the Advisory Committee. Spring is sewing season and we always need sewing teachers.

“The Top 10 Questions of Aspiring 4-H Leaders” will be answered on Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Henderson County center, across from the ball fields in Jackson Park. RSVP to Barbara_Walker@ncsu. edu or call 828-697-4891 if you plan to attend.

Henderson County 4-H is dependent on donations and fundraisers for awards and programs for youth. The 4-H Small Fruit Sale is an excellent way to purchase healthy strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and asparagus plants at low prices. Order forms are due March 14. Plants will be picked up on Saturday, April 19, at Henderson Farms, 705 Tracy Grove Road. Extra plants will be available at 2 p.m. All plants are bare root, and will need to be planted right away. All plants prefer full sun and moist, welldrained soil. What would you think about a week of archery, horses, a climbing wall, campfires, arts and crafts, campouts, hikes, a ropes course, nature classes, songs, games and teambuilding? Henderson County 4-H will be taking youths ages 8–14 to camp at the Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Center in Reidsville July 6 – 11.

Space is limited, and will fill on a firstcome, first-served basis. The total cost is $420. A down payment of $100 is due with the registration. Donors are always needed to help provide scholarships for 4-H camp.

There are three 4-H camps with full summer schedules. Visit www.nc4h.org/ camps-centers/ to learn about camping at Betsy Jeff Penn, Millstone, and the Eastern 4-H Center. Register through Denise Sherrill, 4-H Agent, for a discount at 4-H camp.

Two free garden competitions are available for youths ages 9–18. 4-H Mini-Gardening is for beginners. Participants grow their own 10-by-12-foot vegetable gardens at home. Seeds, transplants, and training are provided by 4-H.

Registration forms are due by May 2, and the Mini-Garden Orientation will be May 5 at Bullington Gardens.

4-H Creative Gardening is for experienced gardeners who have grown and maintained their own gardens in the past. Each participant designs his or her own 10-by-12-foot garden. The garden will include four vegetable or fruit plants, two flowers, two herbs and a decorative item, all provided by the participant.

Consumer Horticulture Agent Kerrie Roach will teach a class about Garden Design on April 3. Gardeners will submit their garden plans for approval before they plant. Extension Master Gardener volunteers visit the gardens twice during the summer to offer advice, judge the gardens, and look at the garden journals.

In August, participants bring food they've made with produce from their gardens for a Garden Covered Dish Supper and Awards Program. Register for Creative Gardening by April 2.

Denise Sherrill is the 4-H agent for Henderson County. 4-H is the Youth Development Program of NC Cooperative Extension, which is a division of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NCSU. Visit http://henderson.ces.ncsu.edu/4-H , call 697-4891 or email Denise_Sherrill@ ncsu.edu to learn more about 4-H activities or endowments.

<p>4-H was started over 100 years ago to help children develop skills they can use throughout their lives. The focus was agriculture, with Corn Clubs for boys and Tomato Clubs for girls.</p><p>Edith Vanderbilt, from the Biltmore House, hired the first 4-H agent for North Carolina, L.R. Harrill. He went on to become the first N.C. 4-H sate leader. Harrill's statement emphasizes the goal of 4-H: “It's a great thing to produce a grand champion 4-H steer, but unless you do something to produce a grand champion boy or girl, you have failed in your greatest responsibility.”</p><p>Henderson County 4-H continues to strive to produce grand champion boys and girls. The focus is still on learning life skills. Henderson County 4-H has 10 4-H clubs, which learn about topics like livestock, leadership, electricity, horses, sewing, cooking, citizenship, community service, gardening, wildlife and shooting sports.</p><p>Volunteers are needed for every aspect of 4-H: leading clubs, mentoring leaders, teaching classes, judging competitions, planning events and serving on the Advisory Committee. Spring is sewing season and we always need sewing teachers.</p><p>“The Top 10 Questions of Aspiring 4-H Leaders” will be answered on Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Henderson County center, across from the ball fields in Jackson Park. RSVP to Barbara_Walker@ncsu. edu or call 828-697-4891 if you plan to attend.</p><p>Henderson County 4-H is dependent on donations and fundraisers for awards and programs for youth. The 4-H Small Fruit Sale is an excellent way to purchase healthy strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and asparagus plants at low prices. Order forms are due March 14. Plants will be picked up on Saturday, April 19, at Henderson Farms, 705 Tracy Grove Road. Extra plants will be available at 2 p.m. All plants are bare root, and will need to be planted right away. All plants prefer full sun and moist, welldrained soil. What would you think about a week of archery, horses, a climbing wall, campfires, arts and crafts, campouts, hikes, a ropes course, nature classes, songs, games and teambuilding? Henderson County 4-H will be taking youths ages 8–14 to camp at the Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Center in Reidsville July 6 – 11.</p><p>Space is limited, and will fill on a firstcome, first-served basis. The total cost is $420. A down payment of $100 is due with the registration. Donors are always needed to help provide scholarships for 4-H camp.</p><p>There are three 4-H camps with full summer schedules. Visit www.nc4h.org/ camps-centers/ to learn about camping at Betsy Jeff Penn, Millstone, and the Eastern 4-H Center. Register through Denise Sherrill, 4-H Agent, for a discount at 4-H camp.</p><p>Two free garden competitions are available for youths ages 9–18. 4-H Mini-Gardening is for beginners. Participants grow their own 10-by-12-foot vegetable gardens at home. Seeds, transplants, and training are provided by 4-H.</p><p>Registration forms are due by May 2, and the Mini-Garden Orientation will be May 5 at Bullington Gardens.</p><p>4-H Creative Gardening is for experienced gardeners who have grown and maintained their own gardens in the past. Each participant designs his or her own 10-by-12-foot garden. The garden will include four vegetable or fruit plants, two flowers, two herbs and a decorative item, all provided by the participant.</p><p>Consumer Horticulture Agent Kerrie Roach will teach a class about Garden Design on April 3. Gardeners will submit their garden plans for approval before they plant. Extension Master Gardener volunteers visit the gardens twice during the summer to offer advice, judge the gardens, and look at the garden journals.</p><p>In August, participants bring food they've made with produce from their gardens for a Garden Covered Dish Supper and Awards Program. Register for Creative Gardening by April 2.</p><p>Mark your calendars now to visit the Extension Garden Fair Saturday, April 5, for classes about Soil Sampling, Pruning, Embryology, Backyard Flocks, Crock Pot Cooking, and Indoor Kitchen Gardens. To register, contact Barbara_Walker@ncsu. edu or call 697-4891. </p><p>Denise Sherrill is the 4-H agent for Henderson County. 4-H is the Youth Development Program of NC Cooperative Extension, which is a division of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NCSU. Visit http://henderson.ces.ncsu.edu/4-H , call 697-4891 or email Denise_Sherrill@ ncsu.edu to learn more about 4-H activities or endowments.</p>